NABH and Other Healthcare Advocacy Groups Provide Feedback on Latest Covid-19 Legislation
NABH this week weighed in on issues specific to behavioral healthcare providers in the $1 trillion Covid-19 stimulus package that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released on Monday, July 27.
Referred to collectively as the
HEALS Act, the legislation includes a total of eight bills from Senate Republicans. For detailed information on this latest Covid-19 bill, please see this section-by-section
summary from the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
On Thursday, NABH joined the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, the Children’s Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Premier Healthcare Alliance, and Vizient, Inc. in a letter regarding surprised medical billing.
“Legislative proposals that would dictate a set payment rate for unanticipated out-of-network care are neither market-based nor equitable, and do not account for the myriad inputs that factor into payment negotiations between insurers and providers,” the organizations noted in the
letter. “These proposals will only incentivize insurers to further narrow their provider networks and would also result in a massive financial windfall for insurers,” it continued. “As such, we oppose the setting of a payment rate in statute and are particularly concerned by proposals that would undermine hospitals and front-line caregivers during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
And on Tuesday, NABH joined a handful of other advocacy groups—including Advocates for Opioid Recovery, the American Association for Opioid Dependence, Inc., and the MAT Leadership Council—in sending a letter to congressional leaders that calls for a total of $400 million in federal funding to support opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and recovery support services.
“To ensure that the 450,000 OTP patients around the country continue to have access to this lifesaving care, we request that $300 million be included in the next COVID-19 stimulus package for opioid treatment programs,” the organizations said in the letter, adding later, “We also request that Congress set aside an additional funding stream of $100 million for recovery support services. Recovery support services can cover myriad types of programming including online and call-in All Recovery Meetings that support multiple pathways to recovery, peer support services, and evidence-supported programs that teach life skills and/or job skills and training for those in recovery or who are involved in the criminal justice system.”
NABH will continue to keep members apprised of congressional developments on the latest coronavirus stimulus package.
CMS Approves DNV GL Healthcare USA as a Psychiatric Accreditation Program
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in a final
rule that it has approved an application from DNV GL Healthcare USA for initial recognition as an accrediting organization for psychiatric hospitals that wish to participate in Medicare or Medicaid.
According to the rule, CMS has approved DNV GL as a national accrediting organization for these facilities effective July 30, 2020 through July 30, 2024.
CDC Releases New Covid-19 Guidance for Behavioral Healthcare
New
guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week clarified that the federal agency’s infection prevention and control guidance applies to all settings where healthcare is delivered, which includes psychiatric hospitals or other behavioral health facilities.
The guidance also included challenges and potential solutions specific to behavioral health settings, such as group therapy sessions, cloth face coverings, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and smoking.
HHS Joins Other Federal Agencies to Form Covid-19 Insights Partnership
HHS has joined the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department (VA) and the U.S. Energy Department to form the Covid-19 Insights Partnership to coordinate and share health data as well as expertise and research to fight against the coronavirus.
“The volume and quality of the data HHS has on COVID-19 has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent months,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in an
announcement about the partnership. “The Department of Energy’s world-class resources will help us derive new insights from the data we gather to help patients and protect our country.”
The Covid-19 Insights Partnership’s research and analysis will focus on vaccine and therapeutic development and outcomes, virology, and other critical scientific topics to understand Covid-19 better. HHS and VA will provide additional updates and information on research projects as it becomes available.
MACPAC Responds to Covid-19 and Systemic Racism with New Resources
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) has added a new section to its website and released a new issue brief to highlight the nation’s two public health crises: Covid-19 and systemic racism.
An announcement from MACPAC noted that elevated rates of infection and mortality from Covid-19 are having a disproportionate effect on Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities. A new section of the commission’s
website describes
how Medicaid is using different legal authorities to respond to the deadly coronavirus, while a new issue brief highlights what MACPAC refers to as a “countercyclical role” responding to this current crisis as well as previous economic and public health emergencies.
Commonwealth Fund Releases Analysis on How States Can Address Mental Health
A new
analysis from the Commonwealth Fund shows that 13.4% of adults 18 and older reported symptoms of serious psychological distress in April 2020, compared with 3.9% in April 2018.
The findings also projected that deaths from suicide and alcohol or drug misuse could increase by an additional 75,000 before the U.S. economy recovers from Covid-19.
In the report, researchers examine states’ mental health responses to Covid-19 by Medicaid and other insurers. The analysis also maps out effective strategies.
“While no state has yet provided a comprehensive response, all have implemented measures to address the issue, providing a wealth of ideas and promising practices,” researchers K. Bryant Smalley and Jacob C. Warrant noted in the analysis released this week. “These strategies largely fall into five categories: telemental health, licensure and scope of practice, insurance changes, establishment of new services, and visibility and durability of efforts.”
Wit v. UnitedHealthcare Hearing Open to Public Via Webinar on Thursday, Aug. 6
Members of the public and press are welcome to join a webinar next week that will feature the remedies hearing in the
Wit v. UnitedHealthcare case.
Click
here to follow the hearing via Zoom on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 12:30 p.m. ET/ 9:30 a.m. PT. For important information and guidance on technical preparation for the webinar, please click
here.
Reminder: NABH Telehealth Survey Due Today, Friday, July 31
If you haven’t done so already, please fill out this
survey about how expanded telehealth coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic has helped maintain and/or improve access to behavioral healthcare. This information will help us advocate for continued expanded telehealth coverage after the public health emergency ends.
Please e-mail
Kirsten Beronio, NABH’s director of policy and regulatory affairs, with any questions.
Fact of the Week
Three of the 20 most expensive
conditions during hospital stays with an expected payer of Medicaid were related to mental and substance use disorders: schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, depressive disorders, and alcohol-related disorders.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.